264 Electricity and Galvanism. 



mersed therein ; a piece of silver was some hours ago, placed in the 

 outer vessel, and a piece of zinc connected with it in the tube. The 

 two pieces of metal are thus placed under conditions nearly parallel, 

 if not identical, to those in which they are when used to form the 

 moxa. If the fluid in the inner tube be tested by adding to one por- 

 tion of it ferrocyanide of potassium, and to another some ammonia ; 

 the occurrence of a white precipitate in either case will at once attest 

 the presence of chloride of zinc in solution. 



Conversing on this subject with my friend and colleague Dr. 

 Babington, whose profound erudition and high scientific attainments 

 are familiar to us all, he mentioned to me some analogous ex- 

 periments, performed by him as far back as 1827, on the action 

 of weak currents on muscular flesh : he also kindly placed in my 

 hands the notes he had preserved of his researches. Of his many 

 ingenious experiments, the following bears most on the subject of 

 my electric moxa : — The doctor took two slices of muscular flesh, 

 placed one between two plates of glass, the other between plates 

 of copper and zinc, binding them together with wire ; — in the course 

 of a few days, the weather being warm, the flesh between the glasses 

 began to putrify, and soon afterwards was full of maggots, whilst 

 that between the metallic plates remained free from putrescency. 

 A remarkable change had, however, occurred, for, on taking off the 

 plates, the side opposite to the zinc plate was hard as if it had been 

 artificially dried, whilst that opposed to the copper had become 

 covered with a transparent substance resembling jelly. In fact, the 

 result of the experiment evidently was, that the chloride of sodium 

 existing in the flesh had become decomposed ; the zinc had been 

 acted on, and a dry hard compound of chloride of zinc and albumen 

 formed on one side of the piece, whilst the soda set free on the other 

 side had contrived with protein elements to constitute an albuminate 

 of soda in the form of a semi-gelatinous mass. This experiment on 

 dead matter, compared with my own on the living body, affords a 

 beautiful illustration of the wonderful influence of life in modifying 

 chemical action. In the dead flesh mere chemical changes occur- 

 red ; in the living tissue the principle of life interfered on the one 

 hand in resisting the solvent influences of the soda set free at the 

 silver surface, whilst that same principle from the influence of the 



